Heating apparatus.



N. B. WALES.

HEATING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAR. 6, 191

1,?7,3?8 Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET l.

N. B. WALES.

HEATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED MAR. e, 1911.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

museum. B. WALES, or Bos'To'N, massacnusnrrs.

HEATING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 6, i911.

Patented Nov. 4, 1913. Serial N 0. 612,518.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, NATHANIEL B. WALES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Boston, in the county of Suifolk, State ofv Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Heating Apparatus,

of which the following is a specification, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to a heating ap paratus in which the products of combustion are utilized as heat conve 'ng or circulating fluid, or for heating te heat conveying or circulating fluid and for erat ing the mechanism designed to maintain the circulation of the heat conveying or circulating medium.

The main object of the invention is to secure a heating apparatus in which the heat units present in the products of combustion are utilized for raising the temperature or temperatures of the various spaces designed to be heated and for o crating the necessary mechanism for maintaining the circuliatign of the heat conveying or circulating Another object of the invention is toutiliz e the heat units in the products of combustion for operating the mechanism for maintaining the circulation in the system without affecting, degree, bustion be embodied in systems in which the prodnets of combustion are distributed throughout the system and employed as heat conveymg or circulating medium; or in systems in which the products of combustion are employed for the purpose of raising the temperature of the heat culating medium. In the accompanying drawings the invention is shown as applied as a heating medium.

The various features of the invention may to a system wherein the products of com-v. bustion are employed for-raising the tem-v perature of the heat conveying or circulating medium, which is distributed to the various rooms or spaces to be heated.

In the drawings illustrating one of theembodiments of the invention, F gure 1 is a diagrammatic view of a heating apparatus constructed and controlled in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a. vertical sectional view, partly in elevation, of a stack heater showing the interior construction thereof; Fig. 3 is a plan view of the to any appreciable;

the eiiicienc of th rod ct fcom-a y e p 80 z the-cooling cylinder is mounted outside of conveying or cirstack heater, the top of the casing being removed to show the interior construction; Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a portion of the stack heater and Fig. 5 is a horizon-tal sectional view of the same.

In the drawings illustrating my invention applied to a heating apparatus wherein the products of combustion are utilized for raising the temperature of the heat conveying or circulating medium, asuitable combustion chamber is provided for generating products of combustion which are then conducted to a suitable stack heater and caused to circulate through the said heater by a forced or induced draft. The circulating or heat conveying fluid, preferably air, is drawn or forced in and about the stack heater whereby its temperature is raised to the. desired degree and it is then distributed to the various rooms or spaces to be heated. :Suitable means are shown, in the present case fans or blowers, for forcing or inducing the circulation of the products'of combustion and heat conveying fluid through'the system and to operate these means I provide :a heat engineworking on some embodiment of the so-called Carnot cycle as illustrated in a Stirling or an Ericsson hot air engine; the engine being so arranged that the hot air cylinder, is mounted within the combustic-n chamber and subjected to the heating action of the products of combustion and the combustion chamber and provided with a jacket for cooling the same either by water or cool air or in any other suitable manner.

In the drawings a suitableheater 7, hav'-. ing a. combustion chamber 8 1s prov1ded with a flue 9, leading to a stack heater 10 of any suitable construction. From the flue 9 is a cut-off flue 11 leading into the ch mney or into the atmosphere for the purpose of ermitting the products of combust1on to be exhausted into the chimney o-r atmos; phere when desired. The flue 9 and cut-ofi' 11 are controlled by dampers 12 and 13 respectively, connected 'by a rod ,14 in such a manner that when one is open the other 1s closed. By operating thesedampers the products of combustion are directed either into the chimney through the cut-0E or into the stack heater through the flue.

For the purpose of reducing the temperature of the products of combustion as they are drawn from the generating means and at the same timeto add weight and volume to I the working fluid, the heater 7 is jacketedto form a radiation chamber 15 surrounding the combustion chamber and communicating with the flue 9 through a by-pass or shunt 16 and air may be introduced through openings 19 controlled by dampers into the radiation chamber, or may be introduced in a manner to be hereinafter described.

In the drawings a stack heater similar in construction to the heater shown and described in an application filed by me in the United States Patent Office January 27,

1911, Serial No. 604,971, is shown connected to the flue 9, but any suitable form of stack heater may be employed in this connection. The stack heater is made up of a plurality of fiat sections 20 connected together in a series by passages 21, each section being connected with the adjacent section on one side at the top and with the adjacent section at the other. side at the bottom, in order that the flow through said sections of the products of combustion may proceed upwardly and downwardly alternately. At the inlet end the stack is connected to the flue 9 by a flat pipe 22 through which are delivered products of combustion into the stack. The outlet end of the stack opens into a similar pipe 23 leading to a casing 25 within which is mounted a fan' or blower (not shown) for the purpose of inducing a flow of the'products of combustion through the stack. After passing through the casing 25 the products of combustion may be exhausted in any desirable manner, either into the chimney or atmosphere. For the purpose, of securing a large radiation surface, the sections 29 are arranged closely together and pro.- vided with fluted sides and the connections between the'flue 9 and the stack and between the stack and the flue 24 are of extreme width and the connections 21 between the sections 20 of the stack are divided as shown and accumulations of cinders, dust and soot removed.

The circulating or heat conveying medium which in the apparatus shown is air, is introduced into the casing 10 through an inlet pipe 30 leading from the casing 33, within which is mounted afan or blower (not shown) for forcing the circulation of air. The inlet pipe 30 enters the side of the easing 10 in order that the air may flow through the stack in a lateral direction, as indicated by arrows in Fig. 3, and the sections 20 of the stack are connected alternately with the sides and top of the stack by partitions 31, in

order that the-air may flow in a continuous course backwardly and forwardly between the sections until it reaches the other end of the stack and finally emerges therefromand into distributing pipes 32 by which it is carried to the rooms or spaces designed to be.

heated. If preferred, the fan or blowermay be located at the exhaust end in order to induce, rather than force the circulation of the heat conveying medium.

For the purpose of operating the forcing and inducing mechanisms in an economical manner, I provide a heat engine, preferably of the Stirling or Rider Ericsson type as hereinbefore stated, and so arranged with respect to the combustion chamber that it is operated by the heat generated and present in the products of combustion without affecting their efficiency in the heating apparatus. To this end, as shown in the drawings,

a hot air engine is provided, having a hot air cylinder 34 set in the heater with the lower part of the cylinder within the combustion chamber and subjected to the heat generated in the products of combustion. A cooling cylinder 35 is supported outside of the heater and surrounded by a jacket 36 adapted, in theconstruction shown in the drawings, to be cooled by air entering through a conduit 37 and emerging through a conduit 38 into the radiation chamber 15 of the heater from which it passes into the cooling shunt 16 and may be employed in tempering the products of combustion. If desired, the cooling jacket 36 may be connected to the inlet pipe 30 by aconduit 46 and the air employed for cooling the cylinder 35 may be delivered into the inlet pipe 30 and used as part of the circulating or heat conveying medium. In either case, whether the air employed for cooling the cylinder 35 flows directly into the radiation chamber 15 and is afterward mixed with the products of combustion, or whether it flows into the inlet pipe 30 and is used as a circulating medium, the heat units contained in it are saved and utilized in the heating system instead of being wasted. Within the cylinders34 and 35 are arranged ordinary pistons (not shown) operating cranks 39 and 40 respectively and thereby a fly-wheel 41 mounted in suitable bearings 43 and a shaft 42. The shaft is supported at its other end in bearings 44 and 45 and upon this shaft are mounted fans or blowers within the casings 33 and 25.

The operation of the apparatus is as follows: A fire is started in the combustion chamber for the purpose of generating products of combustion. In the beginning it.is preferable to close the damper 12 and open the damper 13 and direct the products of combustion into the chimney or exhaust through the cut-off 11 owing to the large amount of dust and cinders present. After the fire has been properly ignited and the combustion reduced to a practical degree the products of combustion are then directed through the flue 9 by operating the dampers 12 and 13 and through the stack heater in the casing 10. As soon as the fire is started in the combustion chamber 8 the heat generated starts the operation of the hot air engine and thereby the fans or blowers. When the flue 9 is opened the induced draft caused by the fan or blower in the casing 25 draws the products of combustion through the stack heater, thereby raising the temperature of the same to a high degree. As it is necessary to temper the products of combustion to reduce the temperature and to increase the weight and'volume thereof,-

the dampers 19 controlling the inlets to the radiation chamber are opened and air from the radiation chamber of the heater is allowed to flow into the flue 9 and mix with the products of combustion until the desired temperature and weight and volume of the working fluid has been secured. At the same time the fan in the casin 33 forces the heat conveying medium or fluid through the stack heater as hereinbefore described,

during which progress it is raised in temperature to the desired extent. From the stack heater the circulating medium passes through the various conduits and registers into the rooms or spaces to be heated. After this system has been properly adjusted to the required conditions it will work uniformly and the rate of combustion in the:

combustion chamber may be regulated by means of the damper 18 in the flue 9 to fulfil the particular needs of the system as the speed of the hot air engine may be raised thereby varying the speed of the fans according to the heating requirements.

It will be noticed that the products of combustion are not forced through the stack, but the flow is induced and, therefore, if for any reason any joints open up in the stack heater, the leak will be toward the inside thereby not contaminating the circulating or heat conveying medium. It is also to be noted that the combining of this form of prime-mover with a heating apparatus as described produces a self-contained system in which a small percentage of the heat energy liberated by combustion is turned into kinetic energy and made to produce velocity in the remaining heat bearing gases above described. In this manner we have heating apparatus having a positive circulation of its heating fluid as well as a very high thermal exchange of heat from thecombustion chamber to the spaces to be heated. It is also noted that the wastes of heat rejected by the prime-mover are absorbed by the heating apparatus and utilized for heating purposes. 1

In this application, I have claimed my invention specifically, the broad invention be ing described and claimed in another cation filed by me April 10th, 1911, erial N 0. 620125.

My invention is not to be limited to the construction hereinbefore shown and described but may be embodied in other constructions without departing from the spirit thereof.

What I claim is 1. A heating system in which air is utilized as the heat-conveying or circulating medium comprising a combustion chamber, a stack-heater for heating said air, a hot air engine operated by the heat generated in said combustion chamber, means operated by said hot-air engine for forcing the circulation of said air throughout said system and means for utilizin said air for cooling the cooling end of sald hot-air engine before it is heated by said stack-heater for use as the heat-conveying or circulating medium.

2. A heating system in which air is utilized as the heat-conveying or circulating medium comprising a combustion chamber, a stack-heater connected thereto for heating said air, a hot-air engine operated by the heat generated in said combustionchamber, means operated by said hot-air engine for forcing the flow of the products of combustion through said stack-heater andthe flow of said air throughout said system and means for utilizing said air at atm sphe temperature for cooling the cooling end of said hot-air engine before it is heated by said stack-heater for useas the heat-conveying or circulating medium.

3. A heating system in which air isutilized as the heat-conveying or circulating medium comprising a combustion chamber, a stack-heater, a hot-air engine having its hot air cylinder mounted within said combustion chamber and its cooling end mounted outside said chamber, means operated by said hot-air engine for forcing the circulation of the roducts of combustion from said combustion chamber through said stack-heater, means operated by said hotair engine for forcing the circulation of said air throughout said system and means for utilizing said air for cooling the cooling cylinder of said hot-air engine before it is heated by said stack-heater for use as the heat-conveying or circulatin medium.

4. A heating system in w ich air is utilized as the heat-conveying or circulating medium comprising a combustion chamber for generating products of combustion, a stack-heater for heating said air, a hot-air engine having its hotair cylinder mounted within said combustion chamber and its cooling cylinder mounted outside and provided with a jacket and means operated by said hot-air engine for forcing said air through said jacket to cool the cooling end ora-(me of said hot-air engine and then through said heater to be heated for use as the heat conveying or circulating medium.

' 5. A heating system in which air is utillzed as the heat-conveying or circulating medium comprising a combustion chamber for generating products of combustion, a stack-heater for heating said air, a hot air engine operated b the heat generated in said combustion c amber, means operated by said hot-air engine for forcing the circulation of the products of combustion through said stack-heater and the circulation of said air throughout said system, and

means for utilizing said air-for cooling the cooling end of said hot-air engine before said air is heated by said stack-heater for use as the circulating or heat-conveyingmed1um. it:

6. A heating system in which air under blast is employed as the heat-conveying or circulating medium comprising a combustion chamber for generating products of combustion, a stack-heater connected to said combustion chamber for heatin said air, means for forcing the circulation of the products of combustion through said stackheater and the circulation of said air throughout said system, a hot-air engine operated by the heat generated in said chamber for operating said forcing means, and

means for utilizing said air under blast'for cooling the cooling end of said hot-air engine before said air is heated by said stack heater for use as the circulating orheatconveying medium.

7. A heating system in-which air is utilized as the"heat-conveying or circulating -medium comprising a combustion chamber for generating products of combustion, a stack-heater connected thereto for heatlng said air, a hot-air engine having its hot air cylinder mounted within said combustion chamber and its cooling cylinder mounted outside and provided with a jacket, means operated by said hot-air engine for causing products of combustion to flow from said chamber through said stack-heater and means operated by said hot-air engine for witnesses, this the third day of March, 1911.

NATHANIEL B. WALES,

Witnesses:

E. F. Unmc, F. J V. DAKIN. 

